00000619

Nobiah and his family lived in a dry land and was forced to walk a long distance to a well for water. He encounters several animals who are parched and dried out from the heat. Nobiah shares his water with the animals, because he knows what it is like to be thirsty. When he arrived home his mother grows angry because there is only a small amount of water left for the family, and they fear their small garden will die. However, the story ends with a great lesson that if you do good and give to others, you will receive good and others will do for you. ( )

In a very poor village where a boy named Nobiah, women spend much of their time walking to the well, many miles away, to bring water for themselves and their gardens. When Nobiah’s mother is sick, she sends her son to the well, but he shares most of his hard-won water with the thirsty animals he meets on the way home. His mother is so angry because there is no enough water for their garden which they get their food from. One night the animals return and convince Nobiah that, when the work together, they can dig their own well, and the village thrives thereafter. I really liked this story with is filled of emotions and positive message to children. However, I think readers may ask themselves such questions as why, if a well can be dug very easily, why the people in the village did not undertaken to dig one on their own. The illustration is very effective in showing the hot and dry place and the facial expressions of the characters. ( )

Nobiah was a kind boy who cared for everyone, even the animals. So when his mother grew sick one day, Nobiah was tasked with getting the water for his family. On his way back home, he was stopped by some animals who were very thirsty and asked him for some water. Of course Nobiah said yes and kindly shared his water. But when he got home, the water jug was just about empty. He only had enough for his mother and sister. He felt very bad, because of his kindness he Hutu his mother and sister by not being able to water their plants which supply their food. Later that night the animals came back and asked for more water from Nobiah. But he told them what happened. When they heard they decided to build a well for Nobiah and helped his family.

This is a beautiful story that teaches the readers that being kind and selfless will always come back around. At first, it had caused Nobiah trouble, but with the help of his new friends they ended up helping Nobiah because he had helped them.

The book has beautiful artwork that express a lot of emotion. The readers can feel how the characters felt because of the artwork and the details to their facial expressions. ( )